Young and Restless’s Valarie Pettiford on Her ‘Truly Unexpected’ Daytime Emmy Nomination (Exclusive)
When Valarie Pettiford took over the role of Amy Lewis on Young and Restless in October 2024, the veteran actress had already played Another World’s Courtney and One Life to Live’s Sheila among her numerous credits in television and film. She previously earned three NAACP Image Award nominations for playing Big Dee Dee Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half, and has now been nominated for Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama at the 2025 Daytime Emmy Awards.
A Pleasant Surprise
“It’s still like a dream,” Pettiford tells Soap Opera Digest of the honor. “I still can’t believe I’m nominated, oh, my God. It’s beautiful. It’s wonderful. I’m overjoyed, over the moon… I love Y&R. I love everybody over there. I’ve had such a great time, and so to be nominated is just like the icing on the cake. It doesn’t get any better than that, because it’s truly unexpected.”
After receiving a call from Y&R‘s publicist letting her know that she had been nominated, she quickly shared the good news with her sister. “[She was] definitely the first one,” Pettiford says. “I left her a message saying, ‘Tonia, you have to call me.’ And she thought something happened. And I was like, ‘No, I got nominated!’ ”
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Putting together her reel of clips proved to be a little challenging, but Pettiford decided to take the plunge. “I was limited in what to submit,” she explains, because I had only done maybe 13 episodes because I didn’t come into the show until like, October [toward the tail end of when the year-long eligibility period lapsed]. So just trying to put my best foot forward, and just for the kick of it: ‘Some people submit themselves; let me just do it. Why not?’ ”
Though Amy hadn’t been back on Y&R long, the story of her cancer battle and finally reconnecting with her estranged son gave Pettiford plenty of opportunities to showcase her skills. “I pieced together some things from my very first episode, when I meet Nate for the very first time,” she says of her reel. “Just the whole journey of my character dealing with cancer, trying to find her son, sussing out Nate, the half brother, and all these secrets I held and trying to solicit his help, not knowing what kind of person I was going to be dealing with. Those scenes were action-packed.”
The actress also credits her scene partners with helping her earn her Emmy nod, including Zuleyka Silver (Audra), Christel Khalil (Lily), and Jermaine Rivers (ex-Damian), and she singles out “those scenes with the great Sean Dominic [Nate]” as vital to her reel. “I absolutely, positively adore that man. I couldn’t do what I did the way I want to do it without him. Because he has been with me almost in every scene. I started my acting career in soaps, so I know the workload. I’ve done so many things in years in between, but coming back, people don’t realize how hard this is. So to walk on a set that is so loving and caring from every department, and then have the actor that you basically play all your scenes with to be so delicious like him? Oh, I’ve died and gone to heaven!”
Night to Remember
Pettiford has already begun making plans for Emmy night, including her escort. “My dear friend, we’ve been friends for 18 years, just found out that he is my cousin,” she shares. “I could not be more happy. So I’m bringing my cousin, because my sister’s in New York, so she can’t make it. So the team is ready. His fit out is ready. My fit out is ready. And I’m just going to have a blast.”
The actress is not only looking forward to celebrating with her Y&R castmates, but also everyone else in the theater. “I’ve been in the business for almost 50 years,” Pettiford explains, “and I’ve worked truly with the most incredible humans on the faces of this earth. But I’m still a fan, and so when I get to see some people, oh my God, I can’t wait! I’m just going to be in glee because of the people that are going to show up, and I get to tell them how brilliant they are.”
Whatever happens during the ceremony, Pettiford declares, “I’ve already won because people realize just to be nominated is a coup. I mean, it’s some of the most talented human beings on the face of the earth are nominated or could have been nominated. And for me to be chosen out of this illustrious, exquisite group of humans is a win for me. So I’m good. I’ve already won.”
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